Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-08-22
GETTING ON THE STAGE.
4 Burning Question VIE, Our stage
Struck Youths ard Ma deDs--How
Managers are Bes.eged.
Dramatic Critics wayIaid-Manage Pal
mer's Interview with Novice
Feasible Plans Suggested
.o.responde.ce Of the Gszet!s.

How many hundred times are these end
similar questions asked every Day ia the
year by the youths ard mSdens OF the
land. They see how Saiyini thrills his
audience. They Tem&rk how Cara Norris
holds the s2actator8 speu-bound. How
wonderful that is, How proud those
players must be. The young man rasds
the stoIy Of Kyr.e Below, and tie 200
oGd very Otd) maidens who are in
fatuated with him, and who crowd around
the stage door after the matinee to see
him come out Of the tdeattT. "What
pleasant Nfe," calculates the young man,
~ wonder If couldn't do Bellows roles.
Certainly ! am better looking than he
IS" Aud IN 8 similar WAY the stsgs-
struck young woman seated in the stalls
sees the pretty young actress called GU.
10 the fOoiigats, greeted with enthusiast
tic applause, loaded down with flowers,
and enyiaS her from the very bottom Of
her bitter little Leart
and so there is raised NJ al army Of
young people who are crazy to become
plsyers. Some of them have the begin.
nings Of real love and enthusiasm for
the dramatic ar, but the ma Ority are
moved by their vanity. They 5esiega the
managers in their dens, and want to be
allowed to read 2 passage from S2aks-
ptare. Picture for moment q modern
thea.Tical spaCulat0r listening, While s
novice repeats a speech from Hamlet or
Romeo and Juliet for his critical approy-
al! When these delQded creatures have
made the rounds of the managers, theV
are very spt to write to q critic on one Of
the leading papers of their native city for
advice. what shall they DO now? Whgt
book must they study, and what will the
books Cos,? This prevailing Idea among
n0yices that positions on the stage
are to &c secured by some species Of
civil service examination usually Anglers
the practical newspaper man slightly,
aLd ne drop3 the letter IN the waste PAPER
basket. II lie answered i ne would prob
ably say taat somebody's check book Wss
the most desirable in such circumstances,
nut there YVES no necessity Tor studying
Il. Thac pleasing employment migat be
left to the owner. In lleiy 6NcursiGns
between the manager Of the tdeater and
the dramatic critic CT the newspaper,
these asp.r3nts for stage dolors make 6
point Of passing the SIS &c dCCr, GIngg aud
dirty indeed, but To Their mind more 5esU-
tiiuI end picturesque than the gates T.
Paradise. Iney never reflect how small
i is IN comparison win the crowd
tast wants to pass It's portals,
scattered eli over tie ci.Y, bu.
running errands, writing letters,
conducting jintervieWs and struggling,
scheming snd fighting for the Iiglg TO
enter. With : in hand any one o. these
schemers and tOilers would be welcome
st the front entrance, but neither gold OF
gentleness Gyajls with the ancient Cerbe-
rus who guards this dark Iittlc door al
the rear of the theeter building. Two or
three years ago the stage struck -popula-
ton of the United States became, for q
brief period, more than ordinarily emo
tiOnal and excited. In fancy they saw
al the stage doors through the length and
breadth OF the land thrown wide open
a school OF acting had been formed,
founded Of course on the direct, delight
full and intelligent conservatory
methods OF Pats and open
sesame would shortly be proclaimed
There were tridiDg formulas to be OF
served first. a year CT two OF study would
be necessary, and the payment of some
| Initiation tuition fees would have TO be
made. But this Wss S mere bag8teIIe
The new school would train its pupils,
would teach them how 10 walk, to fall
| down, to get up, TO hug properly, and TO
| exchange the stage kiss, and then the
school would procure them positions in
| established Cbeaters and companies Here
was richness for you. The drummer Of
this school made g trip through the coun-
try and recruits n1cked TO his banner,
scrambled il fact, until his route was
! transformed into g sensauCnally
triumphal progress. Napoleon 1. on the
way from ElbH to Paris Was IS MOTH
! ing. In due time the drummer snd
MS following reached New York a2d the
school was opened 1t began with 8
| boom which gradually and gracefully
| fzzied out. The managers displayed con
siderable knowledge OF fiuance, but The
stage doors remained pretty firmly closed,
and the great question, GLOW shall |
get or the stage" still remained un4n-
swered.
And is there any answer to the cues
! ton? 4 young woman, bright and il
| taliigent, with handsome face cad well
rounded figure, called on MaGsg9r Palmer
| OF the Madison Square Theatre a year or
more ago aud said inst she WAS seeking
! some means OF g livelihood, and she
would ike TO become an actress She hGd
letters from we'll known people, and MIR
Palmer listened to everything she had to
say. When she had done, he told her that
she seemed to have the qualifications
necessary for success, but earnestly ad
yised her not to go on with the Cetermina,
ton. She had talents in other directions
Cultivate them. He assured her that the
life OF an actress was full OF hard WORK
snd bitter disappointments; that The
prizes were few, and did not always fell
to the most meritorious. More than in
any other profession, success was largely
the result of chance. Theatrical history
was full of the cases of players who had
made fame and reputation late in life anC
then through an accident.
"But," said the manager, "if you are
bent on entering the dramatic profession
take an engagement 10 E small company
Do something, attain some recognition
however slight, demonstrate ability, enC
l will give you an opening. You viii
readily understand that l cannot take
novice into my New York company"
The young woman did not take the
managers advice. She gave up her Thes
pian ambitions. But it was good advice
The only training school for the young
player now is the company on the reed
The life is q rough one, and as road com
panies usually play but one piece, thS